is it more difficult for short people to lose weight?

jensauce

don't get me wrong, i love being super short! (5'0"/1.5m) but while trying to lose weight, i find it a bit frustrating! sometimes i get a little jealous of my taller friends, because they're able to eat much more than me and STILL lose weight.

my BMR is only 1200 calories...some days it's not a challenge at all, but other days (like holidays when i'm with family BBQing and such), i feel like i can barely eat anything (or at least, anything really good) because eating what the family eats will either max out my calories for the entire day or exceed them...even if i take small portions. sigh...

i suppose it could be exactly the same for tall folks as well, since they're probably used to eating more than they do when dieting.

curious as to everyone's opinion(s), tall/short/in-between!

Whitezombiegirl

I'm 5ft and I'd say definatly -yes. Its also far easier to gain weight.

Dave198lbs

your height, assuming no metabolic issues, has no affect on weight gain or loss.

jensauce

@ white zombie -- i agree! i find that gaining 5 lbs is way more noticeable on a smaller frame!

Huffdogg

Height has no impact on weight loss.

EmmaM2211

Yes the guys are right height has no effect but I think what you mean is that we have to eat much less than taller people and a small gain shows more easily...not fair :sad:


Having said that people will notice sooner when we lose weight - some of my taller friends have to love over 20lbs before people notice but on my people noticed after about 10 :happy: theres always a silver lining

I'm 5'2" by the way xx

KitchenAbs

It's harder to negotiate the weights area without *kitten* stopping you and asking you if you need help cause you're a 5ft 2" petite woman XD

jensauce

@emma, YES that is exactly what i was trying to say, but your comment about it being easier to notice weight loss was AWESOME! don't know why i didn't think of it like that before! (probably because i want to eat more, ha!) but thank you, way to be positive

@kitchenabs, TRUTH! :laugh:

melissaw78

LOL *snort*

Angiesolomon

I agree with you. While technically its not 'harder' for us short girls to lose weight we can't eat as much as others, burn less calories through exercise and the weight shows on us more!!

I also like being petite though! I've added you.

BerryH

Shorter people generally have a lower target weight, so each pound loss will be a greater proportion of their total weight, so yes it's harder.

mandypizzle

I'm 5'3" and I feel like it's REALLY hard to lose weight but mostly because I'm a GIRL! My husband can lose weight by barely trying and I work my *kitten* off for 5 pounds and put it back on overnight. I have noticed taller women seem to lose weight faster but I think of it like Emma said and a taller person losing 20 lbs is equivalent to a shorter person losing much less in pounds. Comparing to body fat percent might seem more equal if you compare a shorter person losing to a taller person.... None of that made sense I'm sure but it does in my head. lol

MrDude_1

yes it can be harder for smaller people as your overall energy expenditure is closer to your BMR....

if you compare pounds to pounds, its harder as you cant easily create as much of a deficit... that said each pound diff is more apparent on a smaller person.

same thing if you compare inches to inches, its harder as you cant easily create as much of a calorie deficit... but each inch of change is more apparent on a smaller person.

rossi02

I don't think it's harder and I'm 5' 1". I think taller people can handle a couple of extra pounds better than shorter folks, but when I lose 5 lbs pounds, it's looks like I lost 10 pounds. On the flip side, when I gain 5 I look like I gained 10. My sister is 5' 10". She can flux 10 pounds without it being evident. For me, that's an entire pants size. I really think it's just carried in a different way.. regardless of height, the last 10 or so pounds are the hardest for everyone.

geekyjock76

1) What size deficit are you applying to yourself? You may be using a deficit that is unnecessarily too large, restricting your options.
2) What size deficit are your taller friends applying? They may be using a smaller deficit, allowing them to eat closer to maintenance.

Although your Resting Metabolic Rate will typically be lower than taller people, if you have less to lose than them, then percentage-wise you should need a much smaller deficit compared to them. One huge con to applying an unnecessarily large deficit (greater than 25%) is that you are greatly limited in what and how much you eat. People should start off with a more moderate deficit to see if they lose at an acceptable rate first, before slashing their energy availability in half.

ninerbuff

Don't look at "pounds" lost but actual % lost. Losing 1% of your body weight a week for someone who weighs 150lbs (1.5lbs) compared to someone who weighs 300lbs (3 lbs) looks deceiving, but percentage wise, the loss is the same.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yanicka1

I love it when big beefy guys tell us it is not harder. With a BMR of 1200-1300 calories and maintenance at 1700....it is hard to find the sweet spot and easy to go over.

pseel42

not only am i short 5'2 but I'm also in my 40's so that makes it even harder.

i don't have the energy/motivation that I used to have.

that will change when i start my new job...so excited!

jensauce

@ pseel - congrats on the new job, and good luck!!! =D

geekyjock76

I love it when big beefy guys tell us it is not harder. With a BMR of 1200-1300 calories and maintenance at 1700....it is hard to find the sweet spot and easy to go over.

I believe it's all semantics. Is it more difficult from a physiological standpoint? No. Is it more difficult because your lower TDEE doesn't allow you to consume as many calories as someone much taller with a greater TDEE? Yes, you can certainly make that statement. With that said, if it's a greater challenge, then lessen the deficit from calorie restriction so that you can eat a bit more. For shorter people, or those with smaller TDEE in general, they do not have to assume a large deficit to get the results they desire and deprive themselves of eating less than they wish. My friend, who is 5'1" with a present TDEE of 1900 calories, eats 300 calories less than TDEE and ups exercise calories by around 200-250. She typically eats the same exact meals, just one less.

jensauce

sorry geekyjock, but what does TDEE stand for? super new to this, sorry about that!

geekyjock76

Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Think of it as the total amount of energy in calories your body needs to maintain current weight while engaging in all the various activities you do whether it be unplanned exercise and planned exercise. Basically, there are four components to one's energy expenditure:

Resting Metabolic Rate - amount of calories required to maintain primary physiological functions while at rest and awake. Accounts for 60-75% of your total energy expenditure.

Thermic Effect of Activity - amount of calories needed for planned exercise. This can add 10-20 percent above basal if completely sedentary and up to 100% if someone is extremely active. If engaging in 3-5 training sessions per week, it's typically between 30-50%.

Thermic Effect of Food - amount of calories needed to absorb food. This is often disregarded in equations so don't worry about it, though, it tends to account for about 10% of TDEE.

Non-exercise Activity - amount needed for daily activities such as brushing teeth, bathing, walking around the house, etc. It's too difficult to estimate so it's usually not included in calculations.

zaph0d

no

AllonsYtotheTardis

I'm 5'2". I don't really have a basis for comparison, as I've never been taller.:laugh:

Self-motivating was hard at first. But now that I'm seeing progress - it's been easier.


Tell ya one thing though - 10 lbs loss on a short body like mine - I really noticed it. That was awesome - so I'm called it a benefit to be this short.

NoFatChick2

I don't know the science and all, so will read thru this thread later when I have more time. I am short (5 ft), so I understand what you mean that you can't eat as much as those who are taller, BUT we NEED far less to start with. So my guess is, no it's not. It just feels that way.

yarwell

you don't see short people's portions so there is a societal issue with aiming the same amount of food at different sized targets.

NoFatChick2

you don't see short people's portions so there is a societal issue with aiming the same amount of food at different sized targets.

Makes me think of my Dad who used to serve up adult,men-sized portions of food to me and my siblings when we were just kids. No wonder we were all overweight.

LorinaLynn

I would imagine that percentage wise, it's the same. But pound for pound, it would be slower.

Slower shouldn't be confused with harder, though.

tehzephyrsong

I would say it's not necessarily more difficult, it just takes longer for folks like us to see real improvement. Being so short, the only place for excess fat to go is outward, so we look wider than our taller counterparts if we've got even a little extra somethin' somethin'. Women our size can hover around 100 pounds and even dip a bit below it without looking malnourished. I'm 5'2'' and my goal is 139, but I could safely lose another 20 or so pounds without dipping into an unhealthy BMI range again.

ASH0424

I don't think it's hard per say, because everyone genes are different, but less weight is to be on our bones (I am 5'1") and so any extra and you notice.
My husband is 6'1" and so it does get to me sometimes what he can eat and do, but he's also active with his job so I know that helps him....but doesn' mean it's less frusterating.

my bmi chart says 96-132 lbs. I will be happy at this point to just see the scale go down.....not up!

((HUGS))

PetulantOne

Don't look at "pounds" lost but actual % lost. Losing 1% of your body weight a week for someone who weighs 150lbs (1.5lbs) compared to someone who weighs 300lbs (3 lbs) looks deceiving, but percentage wise, the loss is the same.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Good point